Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please CLICK HERE
My love for hymn singing started in my childhood home. My parents gave birth to a natural mixed quartet of children—two boys and two girls—and we sang early and often in our home. Dad would often double on the melody. In a small farmhouse with no TV available back in those days our entertainment was primarily gathering around the piano to sing. Mother was the perfect accompanist and her enthusiasm for this activity was contagious. I loved hymn singing in our rural ward too and memorized most of the old favorites for life.
When President David O. McKay visited our ward one Sunday in Vale, Oregon, I was the chorister and was standing just a few feet from him singing “We Thank Thee Oh God For a Prophet” with a burning in my heart and tears in my eyes. I was sixteen. When my beloved Grandpa Reuben Saunders passed away we all sang “O My Father” at his funeral and I wept as I felt the comfort the words of that hymn brought. I was eighteen.
At BYU my music theory teacher, Clawson Cannon, taught us the art of hymn writing and explained how hymns were different from other kinds of songs. The voice leadings of each part had to be smooth and flow naturally, and there were several things to avoid in our part-writing that would detract from the comfort and integrity of our hymns. His instructions stayed with me and simmered in my soul until much later when I began writing hymns in earnest.
One day in 1997 my husband Doug said he had a strong impression I should write a hundred hymns. I told him maybe I should start by writing one first, because creating a beautiful hymn was much harder than one might think. But either by chance or destiny a few excellent hymn text writers began asking me to set their texts to music and that has been the primary focus of my writing for most of two decades. Today in 2017 I have written around 300 hymns and the joy I felt while writing them is almost inexpressible. Most are published in little volumes of hymns we have published for use in homes and choirs.
Hymn singing is such an important part of our heritage as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Boyd K. Packer, in October 1991 General Conference, said: “If we will listen, [hymns] are teaching the gospel, for the hymns of the Restoration are, in fact, a course in doctrine.” He further stated:
“Our hymns speak the truth as far as they go. They could speak more of it if we had more of them specifically teaching the principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. If I had my way there would be many new hymns with lyrics near scriptural in their power, bonded to music that would inspire people to worship. Think how much we could be helped by another inspired anthem or hymn of the Restoration.” (BYU, February 1, 1976)
In response to Elder Packer’s invitation, a current collaborator, President David B. Larsen of the Dallas Texas East Stake, and I have been writing hymns during the past decade based on favorite general conference sermons. Often one of the most impactful talks for us personally was given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and at some point we felt the push to produce a new hymn inspired by each of his 46 general conference addresses given as an apostle from October 1994 through April 2017. Our hope was that once the central theme of each address was set to music it might serve as another witness to his inspired message, and would be sung in homes, in choirs, and perhaps in other appropriate settings.
We have now completed the 46 new hymns inspired by Elder Holland’s conference addresses and have published them in a beautiful new volume of hymns for home and choir. Since no new hymnbook is currently planned by the church it is our earnest hope that this collection of new hymns will hold interest and relevance for members of the church because the messages were inspired by a beloved Apostle who has spoken passionately about the concerns of our modern day.
One of the hymns from this collection, “A Sinless, Pure, and Holy Man” was published in the March 2016 Ensign (inadvertently titled “A Sinless Man”) and can be found by clicking here.
The hymns have not yet been recorded, but the following is a sample text of one of my favorite hymns in the collection:
Christ Can Heal the Broken Hearted
Text by David B. Larsen
Music by Janice Kapp Perry
Christ can heal the broken hearted,
He can mend the troubled mind.
To the wayward and the weary
He is gentle, meek and kind.
He knows well our heavy burdens,
He has borne each cross we bear.
He will always show compassion,
We can trust Him with our cares.
Christ can help us bear our trials,
He can succor all who mourn.
He can comfort us in sorrow,
He’s our refuge from the storm.
He is light when all is darkness,
He is hope in our despair.
He is faith when doubt is raging,
When we pray, He’s always there.
Christ can free the anguished sinner,
He can save the soul who’s lost.
When we call Him, He is list’ning,
He has paid sin’s crushing cost.
He can fill our hearts with gladness,
Peace again can warm our souls.
He will welcome and receive us,
He can make us free and whole.
His pure love brings peace and purpose,
We are of great worth to Him.
He can sanctify our struggles,
He knows well our pain and sin.
If we trust our dear Redeemer
He will guide us safely home.
He will not forsake nor fail us,
We will never walk alone.
Janice Kapp Perry: Composer, author, lecturer
You can find this new book of hymns at www.JaniceKappPerry.com.
Groups ordering 10 or more copies can get them for half price, details on the website.
The hymns offered by Prime Recordings Inc. are neither made, provided, approved nor endorsed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or its leaders. Any content or opinions expressed, implied or included in, or with this book from Prime Recordings Inc., are solely those of David B. Larsen and Janice Kapp Perry, and not those of Intellectual Reserve, Inc., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or its leaders.
